


Riverdale - A night to remember

by Sam36y



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Complete, Drama, Episode 1x13, Episode Related, Hospitalization, Hurt Archie Andrews, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Wordcount: 5.000-10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:14:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sam36y/pseuds/Sam36y
Summary: What if instead of Fred, Archie gets shot in 1x13? Find out here!
Kudos: 3





	Riverdale - A night to remember

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Riverdale. I'm also not a doctor so there could be some incorrections about this. (already posted on Fanfiction net)

Archie and his dad Fred decided to go to Pop’s to let the day end. It was a long one. Archie told his dad everything what had happened. At night he, Betty, Jughead and Veronika saved Cheryl from killing herself. Archie had punched the ice on the river so hard he had broken his right hand. They were at the hospital for the rest of the morning. Cheryl was released home after almost drowning and freezing to death in the river. She was surprisingly fine. Archie got an X-ray which confirmed the broken bone in his hand. The doctors put a cast on it and let him go. The afternoon was over fast. Archie was tired, having to take painkillers, he was hungry, ate and slept a bit. 

They were alone with Pop. He was in the kitchen cleaning. Fred and Archie were sitting in a booth sipping on their milkshakes. For a while they just sat there. 

The door opened. Archie turned around to see a tall man coming in. He was wearing a black leather jacket, dark jeans, boots and more importantly he was wearing a mask! He pulled a gun out his right pocket and pointed it to Pop. 

“Take all the money you want. Please don’t hurt us!” Pop said.

Archie and Fred stood up. Fred tried to get in front of his son but Archie pushed him aside and stood up front. The man supposedly didn’t want any money. He turned towards Archie and Fred. Archie, still on drugs, trying to be heroic, telling that guy to leave. He almost shouted at him. “Archie, shh!”, Fred whispered. 

Then there it was. A loud bang. Everything was in slow motion. Fred trying to shove Archie out of the way, Pops starting to scream, Archie just standing still, staring into the eyes of the shooter. He had bright green eyes. They were actually beautiful in the dim light of the sunset and the diner. In the next moment there was a warm sensation in his stomach. It didn’t feel good. Suddenly everything started spinning. The world slowly turning black as he felt the ground move towards him. 

For Fred on the other hand the time moved so quickly. He didn’t notice anything until Archie collapsed to the ground and the shooter run out the door. 

“Archie!!” Fred screamed while sitting down next to his son. Pop was already on the phone calling 911. Fred looked into his sons eyes. They were dark brown, glittering in the sunset and the diner light. He started to press his hands on the clutching wound in his stomach. Archies eyes squeezed shut in pain. “I’m so sorry, son! Stay with me! Help is coming!” 

Pops came running with towels. Archies blood already leaked onto the floor. There was a small puddle there. The shot went right through his stomach - a little on his left side. The wound on his back, where the bullet left his body, was huge. The entry was rather small. Archie was still the whole time, didn’t even wince once. Now that Pop started pressing the towels onto the wound Archie screamed for the first time. Fred was relieved in one way. He wasn’t dead, yet.

After that Archie lost consciousness. The pain was unbearable. He only heard a siren far away. He knew he couldn’t die now. Help was almost there but the pain was stronger. He couldn’t stay awake. 

Fred noticed his sons eyes were closing. He was scared, tried to keep him awake but Pop stopped him from shaking his son - that would just make it worse.

Only a few minutes later, the ambulance pulled up on the parking lot before the door. 

Emergency doctors came running, pushing Fred and Pop away from the boy. 

One quickly put a breathing mask over his face and hooked him up to the heart monitor while the other guy was trying to stop the bleeding - at least a bit. 

The heart monitor was beeping quickly - his heart was pumping so much blood… he went into cardiac arrest. 

The doctors reacted quickly and reanimated him. They worked fast to get him stabilized, one started an IV on Archie’s left arm. The cast on the right hand was blood red. The put him on a stretcher and drove him into the ambulance and to the hospital. 

“I’m gonna call FP to take you to the hospital. You’re in no position to drive yourself.” Pop said and walked to the telephone. Fred collapsed back onto a chair, staring into the big puddle of blood on the floor. “FP is coming. Fred come, we go outside.” Pop took his arm and shoved him outside. Fred followed but you could see, his mind was blank - he was clearly in shock. Sure, he just saw his son get shot. 

FP came as fast as he could. Pop didn't tell him exactly what had happened, just that Fred needed a ride to the hospital.   
"You alright?" he asked, stepping out of his car. Fred was pale.    
"Archie was shot. He's already taken to the hospital." Pop said. "Fred's in shock. He can't drive. Take him to the hospital. I'm calling the police and I need to clean up all the..."   
FP didn't need to hear more. He knew what pop wanted to say. He just nodded and took Fred to the car and drove.   
"It's gonna be alright.", FP just said.   
The ride was quiet and quick. FP pulled up at the hospital parking lot. Before he could exit, Fred said: "He went into cardiac arrest. They had to revive him.."   
FP was shocked. He didn't know what exactly happened or how bad it was but that sounded horrible. "Come on. We'll see how he is."   
FP took Fred and walked into the hospital with him.   
"Hi. This is Fred Andrews. He's in shock. His son just came in. Shooting wound. Archie Andrews." FP told a nurse at the reception.   
"He is in emergency surgery right now. I can't tell you more. I'm sorry. I also don't have more information. But Mr. Andrews can come with my colleague here. She will take care of him."   
Fred was taking into a room and FP stood there. He didn't really know what to do. It was overwhelming for him too. What had happened? Are they gonna be alright? Is Archie alive? Will he live? All those questions.   
He went into the waiting room and called Jughead. Archie's friends need to know what happened.   
  
They, Veronica, Betty and Jughead, came as soon as they were informed. It's been half an hour since FP was informed and it probably will be a long night because Archie was still in surgery and will still be for a while. But for now, everyone was in the waiting room. FP had told them what he knew. He also told them that it didn't look good for Archie.   
  
About two hours later a nurse came into the waiting room. "Fred Andrews sent me to tell you guys to visit him. He's in room 302 for observation. You can all go to him." she told.   
"Do you know more about Archie?"   
"Only that he is still in surgery. The damage on his organs were severe. They already removed his appendix and right now they are trying to save his liver."   
Betty and Ronnie hugged Jughead and started crying. Jug just stood there with a blank expression. A shot through the stomach can do a lot of damage. That Archie was still alive was a miracle, actually. He had read so much about all this. He needed it for a story he is writing on right now. He never thought some of that would ever get real. FP was next to them, also with a blank expression. He tried to be strong for the kids but he also was worried about Archie.   
  
"Let's go to Fred. He must be losing his mind up there alone", FP said and they walked to room 302. It was a single room. Fred was sitting on the bed. In his right arm there was an IV. He looked a. It better now.   
"Hello Mr. Andrews." the kids said when walking into the room. FP just nodded.   
"Hey guys. Did the nurse tell you what's with Arch? I can't bring myself to talk about that now.", he said.   
Everyone took a seat at the bed or the chairs.   
"We know.. Fred. It's gonna be alright. He'll pull through. He's a strong young man!", FP said.   
"I know. But imagine. Only 24 hours ago he saved Cheryl from the lake and broke his hand. He was here for hours. The doctors had told him he was lucky and there was no surgery required. Now he is in there fighting for his life."   
"Do you want to tell us what exactly happened?"   
"We were at Pop’s to have a great evening. He was still a bit light headed from the drugs. But he was doing great. Just a normal boy. Then a guy entered. Wearing black and a mask. Pop told him to take all the money and leave us alone but then he turned the gun towards Arch and me. Before I could react, he was already down and bleeding like hell..." he started tearing up. "It should have been me. He's so young. He doesn't deserve this."   
Betty came and hugged him.   
  
They started talking. Happy things only. Once in a while one of them started crying. Eventually then all fell asleep with Fred on the bed or in a chair next to it.   
No one can blame them it was 2 am already, it's been 5 hours since the shooting and Archie is still in surgery. 

Fred woke up in the morning. It was 8:17 am. A nurse just entered the room. All the others were still sleeping. 

“How are you feeling, Mr. Andrews?”, she asked. 

“How’s my son! Why did no one wake me up earlier?”

“Mr. Andrews. You needed rest. Your son just came out of surgery. They just putting him into the ICU. You can see him in about an hour.”, she told.

Fred was relieved a bit. He was alive. He didn’t die. The surgery was over. It  _ only  _ took 10 hours. 

The others started waking up slowly, too. 

The nurse removed the IV from Fred’s arm and released him from the hospital. 

Ronnie, Jughead and Betty went back to the waiting room while FP headed out to get them something to eat. Fred was on his way to the ICU. 

By now the whole town knew what had happened last night. The school was closed for today. A lot of people gathered and visited Pop’s. The blood was all gone, the sheriff took all the evidence - well there was none really. The shooter didn’t even leave a footprint of dirt on the ground. 

Archie’s friends from school met up. They were so worried about him. Josie had told Betty to call her immediately when there are any news of his state. 

Fred walked next to the doctor, who performed the surgery on Archie, to the ICU room. 

“Your son was really lucky. Normally he would be dead with such a wound. He is still not over the worst. It will take him a while to wake up. We didn’t put him in an induced coma but I don’t expect him to wake up today. The surgery was hard and long. We removed his appendix but that is no problem. His liver suffered severe damage. We had to remove a big part of his liver. It should all be fine, he can live with one liver if the rest of the second one doesn’t make it. Usually the liver regenerates itself. It should be back to normal size in a couple months. If his liver fails, he will probably need a new liver. But that is a speculation. That doesn’t have to happen.” 

They were close to his room now. “Before we go in, let me warn you. He is still intubated, that means he has a big tube in his mouth. He is on a breathing machine. Just to support him for now after that exhausting operation. There are blood transfusions hanging on the IV-stand. He did lose a lot. Also we did put a new cast on his broken hand.” 

Fred was already speechless from all the information but he didn’t know what he was about to witness. He never thought he would have to see his son like this. 

He entered the ICU room. The light was dim, it was nicely warm. Everything was in white and light blue colors. There was only one bed - in it Archie. 

He looked so peaceful, sleeping. The intubation was not distracting Fred from noticing his sons beautiful clean skin - only the little scar between his eyebrows. His right arm was in a fresh white cast. His body was covered with a thin blanket but only up to his hips. There was a big white bandage wrapped around his whole stomach and back. On his chest there were these measuring clips that recorded the heart rate and everything. The IV and blood transfusion wasn’t attached to his arm, it was attached to his neck. 

Next to his bed was a chair. Fred first didn’t want to move further into the room. He was kind of scared but he didn’t know why. The doctor moved towards the boy and checked heart rate and the medication he is getting through the IVs. 

“You can sit here for a while. Talk to him. He should be able to notice you. That will help him.”, the doctor said and left the room. He walked into the next room. Both were connected with a window so the doctor and nurses can keep an eye on Archie. 

“Hi Archie… Ahm… Your friends are here. They are all worried about you. So.. So am I. Please don’t leave me, Archie.” Fred wasn’t able to say more. He just stared at his son for a while. Then he took Archie’s non broken hand and said: “I love you, son!”

_____

After just sitting there for a while the doctor came back in and asked Fred to leave.  _ Archie just came out of surgery, he needs his rest,  _ was the excuse the doctor told. He was right, though. 

Fred left the room, quickly looking back at Archie, laying there, eyes closed, the tube coming out of his mouth, the chest slowly rising and falling again as the machine pumped air into his lungs. 

He walked to the waiting room. “Hey guys. Let’s go home.” Fred told the others who were still waiting for any news. They all were exhausted. FP took Fred home, offered him that he would stay with him if Fred wants. But Fred wanted to be alone. He wanted to just sit there, drink a cold beer and think about what is all going wrong. FP was worried about Fred now. He told Betty to keep an eye on him. Betty nodded and went to the house next doors. Veronica drove home herself. She just didn’t want to talk to her family now and went straight to her room, closed the door and locked it. 

FP and Jughead left for their home too. Everyone was just done with today, but it was just 11 am. 

Cheryl was at home when that all happened. She heard about the shooting on the news. She was in her bed, crawled up with three blankets, still freezing. She heard that Archie was shot and been taken to the hospital. Shortly after that she got the message from Betty that Archie was still in surgery. She’d text more when she has news about his condition. Up to now, Cheryl heard nothing. She began to worry. It’s 11 am. Why are there no news? 

She decided to instead of calling Betty to just drive to the hospital. 

“Hello. I’m Cheryl Blossom. I’m here to visit my brother, Archie Andrews.”, she lied at the reception. “I’m sorry, Mrs. He is in the ICU and not allowed visitors.”, the nurse said. 

“But I’m family.” Cheryl always got what she wanted and now she wanted to see Archie. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you in.” 

She decided not to pull a stunt here and just walked away. When the nurse wasn’t looking she quickly hushed into the hall that lead to the ICU. Most nurses and doctors simply ignored her while walking by. She searched every name tag on the rooms to find Archie. 

“Room 203. There you are.”, she opened the door. 

“Oh gosh, Arch… You look terrible.” Cheryl wasn’t wrong. Due to the blood loss his lips were a bit blueish and he was very pale. Cheryl wasn’t shocked by all the machines or tubes. She just saw Archie. 

“I just wanted to quickly say thank you for saving my life! Please… Please survive this. You are strong! You can do it!” She walked towards him, pushed his red hair out of the way and kissed him lightly on the forehead. “You saved me yesterday. You are a hero. You do remember that, Archiekins.” 

She smiled at him and left the room again before anyone noticed she was in there. 

The following days were all the same. School opened again. Everyone was there. Archie was still not awake. Fred was with him almost 24/7. There was no improvement in his condition. Luckily also nothing got worse. The town had not yet found the shooter and there were barely any leads to follow. There also hasn’t been another attack since then. 

Fred woke up in the morning. It was 7:24 am. He felt different today. The house had been so quiet since Archie wasn’t there anymore. Sometimes it felt so bad that he went into Archie’s room, put on a CD and played it so loud, that he could hear it downstairs in the kitchen. Today on the other hand, he felt good. He had a good feeling. He got up quickly, took a nice warm shower, had breakfast and took a nice long walk with the dog, Vegas. He always had his phone in his hand if something were to happen with Archie. But even after the 3 hours of walking, the day was still as nice as it started but nothing had happened so far. Did he already get used to being alone? No, he tried not to think such horrible thoughts. 

It was all dark. He heard a steady peeping that became faster with every breath he wanted to take. He felt something in his throat. Something that pumped fresh air into his lungs. It felt strange and a bit painful. He was nervous, tried to open his eyes and see what was happening.

Suddenly the peeping was loud and very fast - so was his heart.

“Mr. Andrews! Shh.. Keep still. I’m going to remove the tube now. Relax.”, he heard a voice speaking. He felt his chest and neck being covered up by something and then the tube started moving. He coughed and spit out saliva and something what tasted like blood. Then he opened his eyes. A doctor and a nurse next to him. The nurse cleaned his mouth and threw away the cover. 

“Welcome back, Mr. Andrews. Quiet the shock you gave us all here. Do you remember what happened?”, the doctor asked.

He nodded slowly and tried to look down on himself. His whole belly was bandaged. 

“How are you feeling? Any pain?”, the doctor asked again.

“No…” Archie said quietly. 

“Your throat might be sore for a bit. That is normal after intubation.” 

“What… time.?”

“You were sleeping for a while. The bullet went right through you. We had to remove your appendix and took out a big part of your liver. We performed surgery. It took us about 10 hours. You didn’t make it simple for us, either. But here you are. We’re happy you made it through the worst.”

Archie’s eyes grew bigger. He didn’t believe what he just heard. How was he even alive? 

“Dad? Where… where is he?” His voice began to sound a bit better now. 

“The nurse is calling him right now. He should be here in a few minutes.” 

“Thank you.”, he said. He not only thanked for calling his dad, he also meant it for saving his life.

He was alone for a bit. The nurse told him, he wasn’t allowed to move around or sit up. He looked down on his bandaged body. His right arm was still in the cast but he actually didn’t feel any pain. He moved his hand over his stomach. Under the bandage must be a huge scar he imagined. He wanted to see how it looks like. He was so curious. 

The door opened and Fred came in. “Archie!” he said. Tears immediately run down his face. “I’m so happy you’re alive!” Fred came next to the bed and took his hand. “Thank you!”

“Dad,” Archie started “did they find the guy who did it? Is everyone else save?”

“Everyone is save, yes. But don’t you worry about anything yet. Just get better.”

“How long was I out?”

“It’s been a week.”

“I slept for a whole week?”

“Yes and I’m glad you did. Your body was able to heal during that time. The doctors told me daily that your condition didn’t improve but at least I knew you weren’t dying anymore. You know, this morning I woke up and had a fantastic time. I knew something great was happening today and then I got the call.”

Archie smiled. His dad was happy so he was happy too. 

“I wanna see Ronnie.”

“There are no visitors, except family, allowed here but I’m sure she can see you when you get moved to a normal room.”

“When do you think I can go home?”

“Archie, let's take it slow. You just woke up from a coma. You’ve been shot. That bullet could have killed you. You may be on medication now but that wound will take a long time to heal properly and if you don’t take that seriously…” Fred was getting angry which he immediately regretted. “I’m so sorry.. I shouldn’t have said that in such a harsh way… I just want the best for you.”

“I’m tired.” Archie said. That was one of the side effects of all those pain killers and other medications. 

“Sure, I let you sleep.” Fred sat there for three more hours. They weren’t talking and Archie quickly fell asleep again. He was exhausted. The past week was full of events. The sheriff questioned him four times. They also wanted to hear what Archie had to say about the shooter but the doctors told the sheriff to leave him be for a few more days. Archie wasn’t ready, yet. Fred let his son sleep and left the room to get some coffee. He called FP to tell him that Archie was awake but still weak. FP immediately informed Jughead and the others.

Veronica was at home when her phone rung. 

“Hello Betty. How’s it going?”, she answered the phone. “He woke up.”, Betty just said. 

Veronica was so happy to hear that but she couldn’t even express her feelings. She was happy, really really happy but also scared. What if he wasn’t the same anymore. She hadn’t seen Archie since they were at the hospital after saving Cheryl. Was he still the same? Did he change? She did read somewhere that some people change after having surgery but she didn’t know if that was real. She had a strange feeling. Especially because there were still no visitors allowed. That killed her. She wanted to see him badly but she needed to wait even longer. Did he even think about her? Probably not, she thought. 

Veronica changed into a nice outfit and walked out of her room. 

“Veronica. Where do you think you’re going?” Hermione, her mom asked as she walked into the living room. 

“I’m going to meet up with Betty.”

“I hope that is true. If I get wind of you visiting Archie, you’re in big trouble.”

“Mom… He’s in hospital. I can’t see him. You know that. And leave me alone! It’s all your fault he even is in that state!”

“What do you mean?”

“Please. You and daddy hate Archie. Daddy just wanted to have him out of his way so he paid some guy to kill him.”

“You are your crazy fantasy, mija.” Hyrim walked into the room “You should be in your room studying for that exam you have coming up, don’t you?”

“I don’t care about that stupid exam when my boyfriend is in the hospital still fighting for his life! And yes I do believe that this is your fault! I'm not crazy!”, her voice was louder now and she walked out of the house. 

She drove herself to Betty's house. Betty was already standing up front waiting with Jughead for Veronica. 

They hugged and Veronica asked what they were going to do now. They weren't allowed to visit him at the hospital. 

“We could still try. Cheryl told me she visited him too.”, Jughead said. 

“What? Cheryl saw him?”, Veronica was shocked. How? 

“I think she just went into the room. Only Mr. Andrews is really allowed to see him.”, Jughead said. 

“Did she say how he is?“

“Well it was on the first day. After we left the hospital. She said he looked very pale but still - those were her words -  _ beautiful _ .” 

“Can't blame him for looking pale.. He must have lost so much blood. Pop said there was a whole puddle of blood on the ground.”, Betty mentioned. 

In that moment Fred's car pulled up in the driveway. 

“Hey kids!”, he greeted them. 

“Hey Mr. Andrews. How is Archie?”, Jughead asked. 

“He woke up. He is still sleepy and sore. It'll take a while. But he immediately wanted to get up and see you, Veronica.” 

She smiled but in a sad way because she knew she still had to wait until she could visit him. 

Archie was alone again. That was so weird. Laying in a hospital bed, being alone but not really alone all the time. There always was a nurse on the other side of the window watching him and his vitals. It all looked good, mentioned the doctor but Archie didn't feel good. He felt light headed and was barely able to keep a straight face. His back was hurting so much and he couldn't move. 

Archie didn't want to bother a nurse. She already looked exhausted through the window. Archie wonders if it was because of all the patients she had to take care of or because of him. 

He looked down at himself again. That's all he could do really. He still wondered how big the scar is that will stay, overall how such a shot wound would look like. Then he saw blood. 

His bed sheets were stained red. His stomach was looking fine though. That must be the pain in his back. Did the wound reopen? Does he have to call a nurse now? Probably… 

He took his arm next to his head to click on the red panic button but that caused him so much pain that he started screaming and clutching his side, right where the pain was. 

The nurse reacted quickly and was next to him within seconds. 

“Stay calm. Please. Try not to move to much.” the nurse said and put a breathing mask over his face. She pressed the red button and a few minutes later the doctor was in the room. Archie barely noticed what they were saying - only made out a few words such as ‘liver’ ‘surgery’ and ‘now’. The nurse injected something and Archie stopped feeling all that pain and fell asleep. 

He woke up again. He had some tubes going from his stomach to a big machine. He had small tubes in his nose that pumped fresh air into him. The big tubes were full of blood. He was scared. He thought about dialysis and liver failure. 

The doctor came in. “Mr. Andrews. I’m sorry to tell you but the part of your liver is failing. For now we put you on dialysis but we hope that after the treatment and medications your liver regenerates but those are only speculations.”

“What happens if that doesn’t work?” Archie asked. He was exhausted. 

“Maybe you need a new liver. We hope we can save you this progress but it doesn’t look good now.”

“Can I at least see my friends now?”

“After the first dialysis session we see how you feel and then maybe they can visit but only one at the time.”

“How long will that take?”

“That machine is cleaning your blood. It does the job of your liver. We do that every day for two hours - one in the morning and one in the afternoon. We will do that today and the following two days. If your liver doesn’t get better by then we need a transplant. We already put you on the list. The waiting time for a new one with your blood type A+ is about three years now.”

“Can I even survive three years of waiting?” Archie asked.

“The chances are low. You’d have to be on the dialysis almost every time.”

The doctor explained a bit more and Archie’s anxiety grew bigger with every word. He was going to die.

After the first session Archie was exhausted. He never thought a machine would make him so sleepy. The doctor told that this is normal. He could feel dizzy and may even nausea. He wanted to be alone, he felt terrible and probably looked that way. It was already 5 pm. 

Even though he has nothing to do all day long, he slept most times or he was in immense pain, the time went by fast. 

The door opened. Archie had his eyes closed, he only heard the sound of he door. He thought it must be a nurse so he left them closed. 

“Archie?”, a young, beautiful voice said. 

He just pretended being asleep. He heard the chair next to his bed being moved and she sat down. 

“Archie. I hope I don’t wake you up now. I just couldn’t wait any longer to see you again. I love you so much. I’m so glad you’re better now”, she said quietly.

Veronica.

It was her. But he wasn’t okay. His liver is failing. Did she not know? Did his dad nor tell them? Did the doctor not say anything about the dialysis? 

“I’m so happy the doctor allowed visitors now. Your dad told me you wanted to see me… And now you’re sleeping. I’m sorry. I really hope... I really hoped I could see and talk to you. But I understand.” Veronica started talking about school and Betty and Jughead and that the sheriff still had no clue who the shooter was. 

“You know. I believe that my dad had something to do with that… Ahm… I didn’t tell the police yet but I think it’s true. My mom was so worried about you but daddy just didn’t care. But you’re going to live. That’s great!” 

Archie knew she was smiling right now. That made him sad. He wanted to tell her that he is going to die but he was too exhausted to talk. 

“I love you, Archiekins.” she said, stood up and carefully kissed him on the forehead. 

“How is he?” 

It was the following day at school. Veronica didn’t look like herself today. Normally she has beautiful clothing on. Today she wore simple jeans, chucks and a cuddly pullover. It looked like it was one from Archie. They were at the school library. 

“He slept yesterday. He looked terrible. His skin was super pale, looking kinda yellowish. I don’t know. Fred or the doctor didn’t say anything but I think he isn’t well. He still had those tubes in his nose to help him breathing. I wish he was awake and he could tell me how he is…” Veronica told the others. She looked so sad.

“Do you know what yellowish skin means?” Jughead asked.

Both shook their head. 

“Liver failure..”

Veronica’s eyes grew bigger. “Oh my gosh… Really?!”

Jughead nodded.

Jughead called Fred and put the phone on speaker.   
"What's going on with Archie?", Betty asked straight ahead.   
"Well... He had a second surgery. His liver is failing. He has to do a dialysis treatment now. It's going to take three days. If his liver is still not working properly after that he needs a new one. He is already on the waiting list for a donor."   
"But I visited him last night. He didn't look so bad. Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Veronica asked.   
"Well I was going to tell you but I first needed to find my peace with it. The doctor told me yesterday and I saw Archie shortly and he wasn't well at all. He is weak. The doctor thinks that he might not make it."   
"What?!" Veronica started crying. It was all her father's fault! "I'm gonna go to the sheriff now and tell him everything."   
"Veronica? What do you mean?", Betty asked.   
"I think my dad has something to do with the shooting." she said.   
  
In their break Veronica went straight to the sheriff’s office.   
"I wanna make a statement about the shooting. Now." she demanded.   
"Okay. Please follow me into the interrogation room." Sheriff Keller said.   
  
Veronica and he went to a room. It was like in a movie. Dark gray, one table, two metal chairs, dim light and a recording device.   
Keller switch it on.   
"Please state your name"   
"My name is Veronica Lodge and I'm here to help you with the shooting of Archie Andrews."   
"Okay. What do you have to tell us?"   
"I believe my dad, Hiram Lodge hired a man to kill Archie."   
"What makes you think that your own father has a Assassin hired?"   
"He wanted to work with Archie. Get him into his business. But Archie said no and he rather be with me like a normal couple. And my dad has connections. I'm pretty sure he is able to do that. Please, Mr. Keller you need to look into it. He has a room, an office. No one is allowed in there. Not even me or mom. He could hide everything in there."   
"It’s been 10 days since the shooting. Why do you come to us now?"   
"I first wasn't so sure but today I heard that Archie might die because of the injuries he sustained. And you have no other leads. Start there. Maybe it's something."   
  
The sheriff reassure Veronica he’ll look into it.   
In the afternoon, she was in her room studying when the doorbell rang. The butler Mr. Adams opened the door. From upstairs she was able to hear it was Sheriff Keller and two other man.   
"We have a search warrant here. We would like to talk to Hiram Lodge and look around."   
Adam's tried to hold them back but they were already searching.   
Mr. Lodge walked out of his office closing the door behind him "What is going on here?"   
"We would like to look into your study."   
"There is no reason for that. Also you'd need a search warrant for that."   
"We have everything we need. Please let us in."   
Mr. Lodge opened the door unwillingly. He looked at his desk where books and money was laying.   
"Please try not to disorganized anything."   
The three policemen went in and wreaked havoc in the room.   
The middle part of the desk was closed. "Please open this drawer for us" Sheriff Keller demanded.   
Lodge first didn't want to but he knew exactly what would happen if he didn't open it. He also knew what they would find.   
  
He opened the drawer. In it a plan. A plan for buying the South Side of Riverdale.   
Under said plan was the gun.   
"Mr. Hiram Lodge, you're under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say can and will be used against you in court." The one police officer handcuffed him and walked him to the car.   
  
Veronica wasn't really shocked by this. She already knew his dad was an asshole. Hermione on the other hand was devastated.   
She came running into Veronica's room after everyone left.   
"Are you out of your mind!? Giving up your own father! For all what he did for you!" She yelled at her daughter.   
"I just told the truth! Archie might die and you don't even care! I thought you liked him! And I couldn't bear it to live in the same house as the man who wanted my boyfriend murdered!"   
"Veronica, you're father had a plan. Archie was never supposed to be there. And neither should Fred be there. Damn. You just ruined our life!"   
"I don't care! You ruined the life of me and my boyfriend!!!"   
"Boyfriends don't last forever. You'll see. Archie will be gone in a few years if he survives this. Maybe even sooner. You're still young. You have your whole life ahead of you."   
The heated argument went on for a few moments until Veronica took her handbag and run out of the house.

“Archie!”, Veronica walked into the ICU room quickly. 

Archie looked at her with big eyes. It was the first time that he sees her again and now he doesn’t know what was happening. He was just in a session of dialysis. 

“Hey, Veronica.” he said quietly. 

“Gosh Archie. Why didn’t you say that you need a new liver?”, she sat down next to him on the chair. 

“Ronnie… I haven’t seen you in over a week. This is the first time… I just got the news yesterday after a second surgery... “, he said. 

“Second surgery… god… I’m so sorry. I… I told the police… everything…”, Veronica started crying. 

“Ronnie, stop. Please…” he said and tried to get his hand to her face. He was too weak to move much. “Don’t cry. I’ll survive.. And what do you mean you told the police everything?”

Veronica took Archie’s hand. “I told the police that it was my daddy’s fault and they even found a gun, they are testing if it’s matching the bullet. There was a plan. He is trying to… ah… buy up the South Side. The sheriff took him in. I hope they find out something.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because I thought you wanted to know. I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” Archie said. 

“You look terrible.” Veronica started laughing. 

“Gosh.. That is also how I feel.”

“I’m really sorry. I wish you’d be back with us. We miss having you around. And you’re missing so much at school.”

“Well I don’t need school stuff anymore and I miss you all too. It can be pretty lonely here.” 

“Why are you saying this? You need school.”

“I’m dying anyways.”

“Stop! You’ll get through this! And if your liver really completely fails, then we get you a new one. I’m sure we find some fitting one quick! You can’t give up so easily! You already survived that shot, you’ll survive this too.”

“Ronnie… I’m exhausted. I’m feeling terrible. After that dialysis I feel even worse. I don’t know how much pain medication they are giving me. I can’t move. I’m done. I don’t know if I want to survive this. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is to have two major surgeries within just a week? You wake up feeling weaker than before and I woke up with even more tubes and medications and I feel like nothing is helping me.” 

Veronica started crying. She hated seeing Archie like this and she understands that he doesn’t feel good right now but he can’t just give up so easily. But she also didn’t know what to tell him, how to make it better.

“Can you leave me alone now? I don’t want you to see me after the treatment is over.”

Veronica didn’t want to argue and left. She was devastated. 

The days went by fast. Archie’s condition got worse with every hour that passed. 

The dialysis was over and doctors had no more chance but to find some organ donor. All of Archie’s friends got tested but no one matched enough to donate their organ. 

Fred already called Archie’s mother, Mary. She was on her way from Chicago to Riverdale but the flight was delayed. Fred got tested too. It wasn’t a good match, even though he is the father. The doctors wanted to wait and see how good the mother matches. They only want to use Fred’s organ if there is no other way. But the risks of Archie’s body not tolerating the organ would be much bigger.

The doctor was in Archie’s room to check on his vitals. 

“How are you feeling?”, he asked. 

Archie was pale and weak. His vitals didn’t look so good either. Even the doctor was scared that he wouldn’t survive an anesthesia at this point. 

Archie didn’t answer. He was scared. The thought about dying was going through his head over and over again. What happens afterwards? Will anyone miss me? What will happen to dad? What happens to Veronica? Will she be able to move on? He had thousands questions in his mind. He wasn’t ready to die, yet. He was so young. 

“Archie?”, the doctor asked again. 

Archie felt his heart beat faster. His body suddenly stopped hurting. He felt light and after blinking and seeing the doctor hastily grab some breathing mask everything turned black.

“Quick! Start chest compression!”, the doctor demanded a nurse. She did. 

“Is the mother of him here already?”

“She is just on her way. It will take us about two more hour until we find out if her liver is a match.”

“Do it faster! We can’t hold him for that long! Get Mr. Andrews ready for a transplant, too!”

“Surgery now!”

A team of four worked on Archie now. The doctor didn’t want to let this boy die on his watch. 

“Mr. Andrews. Is your wife here already?” a nurse asked.

“No. She is stuck in traffic.”

“Then we need to get you ready. Your son just lost consciousness. We don’t have much longer.”

Fred was shook. His son is so close to death but he has to stay strong now and let the doctors do their work. He just nodded and the nurse took him to a room to prep him for surgery. 

“Mr. Andrews. We will do everything to save your son. He is not dying on my watch. I promise that.”, the doctor told Fred right before they gave him the anesthesia. Fred was scared. Doctor’s promises aren’t always real promises. They try everything but they are not Gods. Everything can happen while surgery. 

Before Fred fell asleep he saw Archie already on the surgery table, already prepped and on a dialysis machine, intubated and on the machine that breathed for him now. He looked dead already. Fred closed his eyes and said a quick prayer before the anesthesia fully hit. 

“Doctor. His heart rate is dropping. I don’t know how long I can hold him.”, the anaesthesiologist said. 

“I know. Try to keep him as long as possible. He is almost ready for the new liver.”

Only a minute later the heart monitor started making warning sounds and the heart rate was super fast. “Ventricular fibrillation!”

Flat lining. His heart stopped beating. 

“We can’t lose him now!” “Charge the defibrillator up to 200!” “Done.” Nothing happened. “Again! 250!” 

Nothing.

“Again!” 

“I don’t think he’ll make it.” “Again!”

Peep. 

Peep. 

Peep. 

“Bradycardia. His heart is beating slowly.”

“We need to get the new organ in now. He is not going to make it.” the doctor still hadn’t lost his hope. 

  
  
  


“Mr. Andrews. Welcome back. How are you feeling?”, he was in an ICU room. 

“How is he?”, Fred only cared about his son now.

“Let me first check on you.”

The doctor quickly checked everything and then sat next to the bed on a chair.

“I don’t want to lie. It was not simple. We lost him in there for about two minutes. Brain cells start to die after about 4-6 minutes so he should be fine. He is not awake, yet. The only risk now is that the body could still reject the new liver. We hope not. If something happens between now and tomorrow, we can’t do anything for him anymore. He should be out of the woods by tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, doc!”

“Now you gotta rest. I’ll let you see your son later.” 

Fred was so happy to hear that Archie is going to be alright. It was a tough call but he made it. 

The first thing he felt was the little tubes in his nose pumping fresh air into his lungs. He felt exhausted and weak. His whole body was aching like he got beaten up. He slowly opened his eyes. What happened? No one was there. Even the room on the other side of the window was empty, even though he still saw everything pretty blurred. He panicked. He just remembered losing consciousness. He reached out for the panic button that was now placed in his left hand. His right hand was actually in a light splint, no big cast anymore. Was he out for so long that the broken bone healed already? He pressed the red button and hoped for a nurse or doctor to come to tell him what happened. He had no memory of anything since passing out. It was like a black hole. 

“Mr. Andrews. How are you feeling?”

“What happened?”

“You can’t remember?”

“No…”

“Mrs. Smith, get him an appointment for an EEG.” 

Archie just looked at him confused. What did his liver to do with the brain?

“We performed a living donor transplantation. You passed out and we had no other chance. We did lose you on the table for about 2 minutes. That’s why we’re testing your brain just to be sure there isn’t any damage.”   
“I died?”

“Kind of, yes. But we could bring you back. And here you are. You should be back up and running in no time.”

“Thank you.”

“Now rest.”

“Guys! Archie is coming home this afternoon!”, Veronica told the others before school started.

“That is so great! I can’t wait to visit him.” 

“Betty. I think we should wait a bit. He must be so exhausted from two surgeries and a liver transplant. He’s been in the hospital for how long, about a month!?” He must be so happy to be back home again.”, Jughead told. 

“We’ll I can’t wait a second longer. I’m visiting him right after school. And maybe he’ll be back at school by next week.”

“I don’t think so… He should stay at home and rest.”

“Do you tell him about the shooter, and who it was?”

“I think, Betty, that is your secret to tell.”

“It’s not a secret. Either he knows it already because I think there are newspapers in a hospital or the first thing he is going to ask is about the shooter.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s go to class.”

“Sure. And Veronica, maybe ask him if we can see him too for a bit.”

Veronica nodded. 

The door bell rung. Vegas run towards the door and barked. 

Fred opened it “Oh hi there, Veronica. Come in. He is upstairs in his room.”

“Hello Mr. Andrews. Can I see him or do I interrupt him?”

“No no. He’s been talking about you non stop for the past two days.” Fred smiled. He was so happy that his son was back - alive and well. 

No one was allowed to visit him at the hospital. Veronica was the first to visit him after he was back home. He sat on his bed, fiddling on his guitar.

“Hi.”, she said shyly. 

He just smiled. 

“Can I come in?”

“Sure. You don’t have to ask for that.” He put his guitar down. Veronica came in and sat next to him on the bed. 

“How do you feel?”

“How do I feel? I feel like a turkey that’s being carved up and then sewn back together. Nothing really feels like it’s in the right place. Mrs. Miller, she is my health care professional, specializing in gun shot victims, she told me that it’s normal. It’s called post surgical mind body dysphoria. It’s supposed to go away, though.” Archie answered. 

Veronica didn’t know what to say to that. She was kinda shocked. She just looked into his beautiful brown eyes for a few minutes and stayed still. “I love you, Archiekins.”

“I love you too.” He smiled. 

“Can I see it?” she looked at his stomach. He only wore a simple gray T-shirt.

“There is not much to see. Both the scars are covered with a small bandaged.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be. It’s okay. After I finally was able to stand up again after such a long time, I looked into the mirror. It was kinda scary, knowing what these scars meant.” 

“You’re still beautiful that way. I don’t care about two stupid scars. Scars mean you survived something bad. They are beautiful in a way.”

“Thanks for trying to cheer me up.”

“Is it working?”

“I’m just happy to see you again! I still don’t feel so good.”

“I can leave. I don’t want you disturb your rest.”

“No, please stay. I was so alone all the time in the hospital. Don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.”

Archie carefully laid back on the bed with a slight groan. Veronica carefully lied next to him. He put his arm around her. She put his hand on his chest.

“Your hand. It’s healed?”

“Yeah. Basically. I only have to wear that splint for a few weeks. It’s good.” 

They laid still for a bit, not talking, not moving. 

Veronica looked up to see Archie fell asleep. 

Veronica got up carefully, trying not to wake him up. She went downstairs. 

“Mr. Andrews. How are you feeling?”, she asked. 

“I’m good. How are you? Did they sort everything out with your dad?” 

“Well yes. He and Mr. Cooper will go to prison for a long time. I still can’t believe dad called Archie’s accident  _ collateral damage _ . Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be this way but Mr. Cooper can’t just shoot an innocent guy. Especially since he’s their own neighbor. Crazy. I feel sorry for Betty, though. She loses her dad now for such a stupid reason.”

“But you lost your dad, too.”

“Yeah. But he already spent time in prison and I love him but I don’t care about him much. I’m happy, kinda. It’ll be all good.”

There was a sound at the stairs. Fred and Veronica turned around to see Archie slowly coming downstairs. He had one of the crutches in his good hand to help him keep his body upright and straight. 

“Archie, what are you doing up?”, Fred asked.

“I wondered where Veronica went. And I’m hungry.”

“I’m going to make you something to eat. Veronica, you can stay too if you want.”

She nodded. Archie slowly walked to the living room and sat down on the couch with a groan. 

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“I am on so much pain medication I don’t even know if I feel pain or pure exhaustion.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

Veronica knew he didn’t know anything about the shooter but it seems that he doesn’t care at the moment. 

“When will you be back at school?”

“I don’t know. Hopefully in one or two weeks. Probably when I can stand more then few minutes without pain. Sitting is also not that comfortable.”

“I understand. Do you want me to bring you all the stuff you missed and teach you at home?”

“That is a great idea, Veronica.”, Fred said from the kitchen. 

Archie was alone at home. Fred quickly went to the supermarket. He sat on his bed, fiddling on his guitar. He didn’t feel so well. He wanted to lay down but the scar on his back was hurting. He started feeling feverish, put away his guitar and stood up slowly. He already felt nausea and tried to walk to the toilet quickly but stopped in more pain at the door. He leaned with one arm at the doorframe and the other arm clutched his side. He groaned “What is happening?”

He made one more step but broke down and threw up onto the floor. Tears started streaming down his face. He couldn’t move, the pain in his stomach was too much. He was terrified. He threw up once more and started screaming. 

Only the dog was at home. He came upstairs - he knew something was wrong. He started barking to get someone's attention. 

Fred just parked his car in the driveway. to hear his dog barking loudly. He didn’t realise at first why the dog barked so much - until realisation hit him - Archie! 

He dropped everything, run into the house to see his son laying on the ground - unconscious.

“Archie!” he grabbed the phone and called 911.

The EMT came fast. They quickly helped Archie but took him to the hospital, just as a precaution. He already regained consciousness back at home. Doctors said that this must be a side effect from all the medication and three surgeries. The EMT reassured Fred that this wasn’t his liver. 

The next morning in school, Betty walked up to Jughead and Veronica. She had a serious look on his face. 

“What’s wrong, Betty?”, Jughead asked as he hugged her. 

“Yesterday evening an ambulance was in front of Archie’s house when I came home. I saw the EMT’s taking Archie with them to the hospital.” 

“What? But I visited him two days ago! He seemed fine, as fine as you can be after this but still.” Veronica was scared. She thought about the worst: his body is rejecting the liver. 

“I’m gonna go ask Mr. Andrews about him this afternoon. I’m sure he is fine.”, Betty tried to calm Veronica down. 

“Hello Mr. Andrews.” Betty entered the house. 

“Hello Betty.” 

They walked into the kitchen. 

“Mr. Andrews I saw the ambulance yesterday. What happened? Is Archie alright?”, she asked.

“Those was just as precaution. He had some side effects and broke down. The doctors just took him to the hospital but reassured me he is alright.”

“Oh good! We were so worried!”

“Trust me, Betty. So am I.”

Archie came back home that night. The doctors changed up one of the medication he had to take to make him feel better. He stayed home for three weeks without talking to any of his friends. He told his dad to block up every person at the door that wanted to see him. He just wanted to be alone. He was so scared of dying and he didn’t want to make it hard for his friends so he just said his goodbyes via text messages. 

It’s now exactly two month after the shooting. For most people everything just went back to their normal life. Hiram Lodge went to prison, so did the shooter. Veronica and her mother stayed at Riverdale, Hermione tried to live a normal life, working at Pop’s. Veronica just tried not to think about Archie too much but he was scared every day that someone would inform her that he’d died. All of Archie’s friends had no clue how he is. They texted him often, went by his house and Betty tried to see him from her room - the windows are on the direct opposite of each other - but nothing. 

Today - two month anniversary - Archie woke up in the morning, took a shower, stared at his two long scars in the mirror before putting on a shirt and went downstairs into the kitchen. 

“Good morning, son. What are you doing up?” Fred took bread from the toaster and gave it to Archie. 

“I’m going to school today!”

“So the talk with Mrs. Miller yesterday helped. That is great. Do you want me to drive you?”

Fred smiled. Archie was in his room all the time and barely talked. Fred forced him to go to the psychiatrist Mrs. Miller, he knew Archie talks to her. This time and the docs appointments were the only time Archie went outside. 

It were hard 3 weeks - for both of them. 

Archie nodded. “Yes… Hey dad.. I’m scared.”

“Of going to school?”

“Yeah… What will my friends say? Do I even have them anymore? Can I even study all the stuff I missed? There will be so much questions…”

“Archie… Just tell them you want to be treated normal and you’ll tell them when your ready. And sure you can! Veronica brought everything. She’ll help you, everyone will help you.”

After breakfast Archie went to his room, packed notebook and pen and his pills in the school bag and went to school. 

The car stopped before school. Archie got nervous, his heart was beating fast. 

“It’ll be alright. You can go tomorrow and you can talk to Veronica today.” Fred said. 

“No. I’m going now. Pick me up later?” Fred nodded and Archie got out of the car. He walked towards the entrance and opened the door. In front of him was the long school hallway. Some people passed him without caring much. He walked straight to his locker. On that little grey locker door was a paper heart. He took it, turned it around and read “Get well soon, love V.”

He opened the locker. Inside was all the same as always. 


End file.
